TheCardBardShop

Our cards are the traditional folding style with the inscription on the inside. They are a roomy 5.5” X 8.5”, which conveniently, is the largest size you can mail in the U.S. without adding extra postage.

The best pose for most of our cards can be taken from in front of the pet, at his/hers eye level (as opposed from your eye level looking down at the pet on the floor) with the pet in a sitting, standing or upright laying position. Some cards just require a head shot, but most need a shot of all or most of the pet’s body. You can either get down on the floor to take the picture or photograph them while they are sitting on elevated, such as a couch, chair, deck, etc. The best lighting is usually outdoors on bright overcast days or in open shade. Avoid harsh sunlight, however, as it will either bleach out all detail in white fur or turn dark fur to solid black. Separate photos of each pet work the best and feel free to send more than one.

Yes! We routinely retouch any eye glare, remove scruffy collars or leashes that are visible, lighten eye stains, fix bad poodle hair days and can even combine head shot from one photo and a body shot from a different photo (same pet, of course) to achieve the best possible image of your fuzzy little friends. Most of the time there is no extra for this, but contact us prior to placing your order if you have any questions or concerns.

Yes! Here are some guidelines to help you achieve the best results:



Clean your lens before taking photos.



If there is a setting for HDR, make sure it says "HDR On".



DO NOT USE THE ZOOM FUNCTION.  On cell phones and tablets, this merely crops the photo in the device, making it smaller.  Instead, move in as closer.

Please do not use the portrait mode on your camera phone. This renders just a small portion of the photo in focus (usually the face) and the rest will be out of focus. In order to construct a convincing composite, we need the entire pet to be in focus.



If you are sending your photos directly from your phone, when your email service gives you an option of what size image to send, always pick largest or original.

Set your camera to the largest image size available.

Set ASA to no higher than 400.

Use flash if necessary but turn off red eye correction. This function emits a series of flashes prior to photo and will usually make your pet look away and usually turns the pet’s eyes to black blobs. We will retouch any unwanted eye reflections and do a much better job at it.

We cannot use professional photos unless the photographer has given us permission to do so. Most are happy to do so - all we need is an email from them.

For dogs, it's usually easier to enlist a helper. Have someone hold the dog on a leash in front of you and kneel down to take the photo. Don’t worry if the leash is visible, we will retouch it out. If your dog has a hard time calming down, work in several short sessions (less than ten minutes). Usually by the third one, it has become much less exciting to the pet. Be generous with treats to make it a positive experience.

If you regularly have your pet groomed, a great trick is to accompany the pet on the trip, and when the groomer is finished, snap a couple photos of the pet while they are still on the groomer’s stand. They are pretty close to eye level, they have calmed downed, the lighting is usually good, and they look nice to boot!